Tales from the Hard Side ReLoaded
=Episodes= Season One A place to die for * Episode 1 | The Magician: It's dangerous to cross swords with an old magician. PI Gasper learns this lesson by hard in his first memorable case when this old witchdoctor goes after his hide. * Episode 2 | Bombtrack: This time it is personal. On a routine mission a good friend of PI Gasper dies before his very eyes in an explosion. With the help of his friend's son PI Gasper goes after the serial bomber. * Episode 3 | The Succubus Affair: It was again one of those typical and easy assignments which lets PI Gasper and Gold stumble across a fullblown conspiracy about an ultra-secret missile prototype. * Episode 4 | A spiral down: This spin-off episode goes 6 years into the past and shows us the last case of C-SWAT officer Lieutenant Gasper before he quitted his job as cop in disgust and later on became private detective. Season Two Augmented new year * Episode 1 | NeoGenesis: In the year 2070 much has changed over the last 20 years. The almighty holding AKKON has been disbanded and sold off 5 years ago but its legacies live on. One special project was expensive and daring. 20 years later technological advance has made custom-designed combat-clones much more interesting and project Ice-H is about to be started. [ more ] * Episode 2 | Case Matters: After a short side career in the private investigation branch Drycon Gold once again meddles with his old bedfellows, the Mafia. Mike Scintano a little fish in the family calls Gold, who is known to the family as The Mechanic, to get back a suitcase of friend of Scintano, a wageslave at Umaru company. This assignment leads to Noyux Crossing, a very ill-reputed and sinister district of Chicago Megacity. With a little help of a streetmugger who calls himself Samuel (Emmanuel Roose in disguise) he goes into literal hell, lies with undead bedfellows and returns from riot with one suitcase, new friends and lots of scratches. [ more ] * Episode 3 | Day of the Mechanic: It was supposed to be a simple job under friends. Rather it turned out to be the day when 'The Family Mechanic' had to choose between Tony or Mike. It all came down to the old question at last: can there be honor among thieves? [ more ] * Episode 4 | RetroGenesis: Another model of Project ICE-H has survived. It was a regular mission Alex was assigned to, but nobody would have prepared her for awakening into naked reality. [ more ] * Episode 5 | MailMonger: It was one of those days when the rain kept pouring on the street and life went its usual way for most people but Geronimo Gasper. A man of opportunity by nature and a keen investigator by reputation decided to make his comeback after 5 years of living on the fringes of society. It was a friend who needed a job done. A simple job, an easy assignment and it brought more trouble to LoneStar than anybody would have guessed. [ more ] * Episode 6 | The RoseMother: Ruhark Corp specializes in magical research. Gunna, a mythic dwarfen physician, is one of the top-researchers of Ruhark and gets called in for a standard procedure. An anonymous customer wants her expertise on possible Awakened phenomenons around the rural town of Sober, north of Lake Michigan. It is there where she first hand experiences the call of nature and learns to become neurotic about wild roses. [ more ] * Episode 7 | The Darkener: Whiling away her medical leave Dr. Gunnadottir helps Uthar III. Ruhark out with a discreet research in his company. For quite some time now he has the nagging feeling that there is more material shrinkage than it used to be. Because of the exquisite nature of such materials, it matters much to the CEO if there is corruption involved. Gunna gets PI Gasper involved and soon they have loads of indications but no evidence. And shortly thereafter a joyful reunion between Gasper and Gold gets busted when an attempt on their life sets them off track. [ more ] * Episode 8 | Bettitude: "You earned some peace", Squintano told Gold. So he arranged for Gold to go babysitting after the oldest daughter of his boss, Gianni La Loggia. But would anyone have guessed that a 15 year-old darling could mean so much pain - especially if she hooked up her bodyguard to the newest Better-Than-Life-Combat Game "Attack of the Red"? This is the story of how Drycon Gold mastered Game Level 1 but never got past the Cyborg. [ more ] * Episode 9 | The Darkener II - Miles left behind: Although it is a small company, Ruhark Corp has a promising future and an excellent reputation for being a very productive research pioneer in the field of magical studies. But "defection" is the one word which gives every company the creeps. And worst fears come true when Dr. Gunnadottir is once again called in for a personal favour by her CEO and begins to investigate the fate of a recently gone missing colleague - the well-known and respected Prof. Stern. [ more ] * Episode 10 | Wild Thing I Ways of the Land: What Emmanuel really needed, was as usual money. And it came as a welcome surprise when Drycon Gold helped him into his first Shadowrun. Dr. Gunnadottir needed some pictures taken of the lovely town of Sober. So Emmanuel started a long, dangerous and dead-broke journey into the wild lands meeting mutant spiders, dog packs and Elven long bow adepts. [ more ] *Episode 10.5 | Cold Angel Part I - The Awakening: Training was not over and real-life was not ready to be embraced. [ more ] * Episode 11 | Wild Thing II Naughty by Nature: After Drycon Gold finished a series of exhausting jobs for the familia, he wanted nothing more than peace and rest. But yet Dr. Gunnadottir called him at the dead of night and acquired his services to extract his colleague Emmanuel Roose from Sober. So he went into the green having his share of the wild. [ more ] * Episode 12 | The Darkener III - Quiet before the Storm: After successful reconnaissance at the heart of the enemy Ruhark Corp. prepares for cold war. And the unassuming Dr. Gunnasdottir is on her way to become its warlord for black ops operations. [ more ] * Episode 12.5 | Cold Angel Part II - Stalker: Alexandra Bessier made her way up from all destroyed clone-breeding facility to lower Chicago Magaplex . As it seems she is not alone to figure things out about her new gained self. [ more ] * Episode 13 | The Darkener IV - Operation Castle Storm: One last time they went back to Sober. It was all or nothing. Getting back Prof. Stern, retrieving the remains of his daughter and leaving behind Sober for a long time. That was the plan. But when the extraction team of Ruhark Corp arrived at the Sober compound and found everybody gone, they knew that every end also brings a new beginning. [ more ] * Episode 13.5 | Cold Angel Part III - Familiy Business: First job, a boys ghost and an invitation [ more ] * Episode 14 | DeEscalation: After debriefing at Ruhark Corp Dr. Gunnardottir and Mr. Roose were sent to Sir Duncan himself. Ruhark Corp wanted to lend a hand to the privateer and the good doctor was meant to be the joly messenger. But the term 'deescalation' means quite another thing to businesses than one would imagine. [ more ] * Episode 15 | Drake's Game: Abducted by an unknown entity Emmanuel Roose awakes in an game-show called Drake's Game. [ more ] * Episode 15.5 | Cold Angel Part IV - ReUnion: A mysterious invitation brings Alex Bessier back into the fold of her true family and right onto the track of new mysteries. [ more ] * Episode 16 | ReEnter the State: Aftermath of Episode 15 * Episode 16.5 | Cold Angel Part V - digital susurration: A relaxed walk and talk with Drycon is disrupted by sudden visions that became disturbingly true for Alex and her colleagues. [ more ] =Cast of Characters= *'Emmanuel Roose': heir to a secret project for the genetically-bred-super-soldier-to-be he nearly was blown to heavens on the fringes of company warfare while awakening in his clone tank. He has gone into hiding to find out more about himself, about Chicago Megacity and about how to make a living. *'Drycon Gold': known to the streets as The Asp and free-lance-''Mechanic'' to a crime syndicate, he is as dashingly galant as he is dangerous, even without any cyberwear which he passionately dislikes, calling it 'unnatural'. *'Geronimo Gasper': the grumpy archtypical-private-eye-for-hire kind of guy with lots of connections and a soft spot for fast cars and chocolate bars. He has an office and has generally a good reputation among clients. *'Alexandra Bessier': she was cloned for success and predestined to be the perfect infiltration expert if she wouldn't have been woken prematurely, nearly physically killed and shortly before beeing worked over with the memories of a sociopath. Alex also stems from project "ICE-H" where she was saved from certain death and left for dead by Emmanuel Roose. Like him she is the better-made prodigy of an old ICE-combat model, in her case Major Charlotte Bessier. *'Dr. Gunna Gunnadottir': she may not be good-looking, she may be quite the opposite, but she is a hell of a physician and a genius in her area of expertise. And if she isn't doing footwork for her company or researching meta-genetics, she lives an exquisite life of corporate luxury. =Sightseeing= Chicago Megacity *District Diethry: former industrial centre, nowadays business district on shady grounds. Diethry was swallowed by Chicago Megacity in 2065, lost its city rights and is now known as seat of the Italian mob. *District Noyux Crossing: Adjacent to Diethry the tiny district Noyux Crossing is one of the darkest corners of Chicago Megacity. It is riddled with dark magic and electricity has long since been turned off by the cityhall. (first appearance in Episode 2) **'Sparrow Pont': Between Diethry and Noyux Crossing lies Sparrow Pont, an open park where scum and cutthroats band together for hire. It is recruitment ground for the most doubtful of operations. Crime syndicates love this place for the dumping of liabilities. (first appearance in Episode 2) *District Champaign: This district is the northeastern border between Chicago and its surrounding wasted rural area. Champaign is a decent place, mostly crowded with houses and Industrial sites. (first appearance in Episode 5) Lake Michigan, UCAS *The town of Sober: In the north of Lake Michigan lies Sober a former 120 soul town in the wild and without any connection to the Matrix. Now it is deserted and sold out to a privateer who researches the Awakened and deadly plant life there. (first appearance in Episode 6) Offshore Earth: Mars *'Diethry Mars': Former seat of AKKON mega-holding, it is now a police-state-kind-utopian seat of a conglomerate of powerful companies and holdings. (first mentioned in Episode 5) =Economics= *'Ruhark Corp.': Midsized company specialized in the field of magical and arcane studies. It is often engaged for expertise or consultancy in the field of magic. Their research is focused on the meld of cybernetics and magic energies. :Status: Plc listed on the Chicago Board of Trade *'Sir Alistair Duncan': Selfmade billionaire and privateer. Together with his staff of able financiers Sir Duncan deals in high-risk venture capital deals and take-overs of small enterprises, and profits large-scale by IPO's of grown-up or restructered firms. He is known to be both very clever and very ruthless. :Status: Private funds. =Playing by the Rulez= This chapter concerns itself with House Rules and are subject to change. *General rulez stick to official SR 4.01D rulebook. *'Fee of Lakshmee': Everything has its pricetag, so does Lakshmee, the fixer. He does not like to trade in military goods, so his according fees are not very favorable. They are too hard to sell, always the mob or the russians involved. :*Regular goods: 120% sell, 80% buy :*Irregular goods (restricted): 150% sell, 50% buy :*Hot goods (military, forbidden): 200% sell, 20% buy Category:Tales_from_the_Hard_Side = Stories = Mike Roose The character of Major Mike Roose is one of the most essential aspects of the sarcastic side of cyberpunk. He was one of the first cloning experiments of UCAS and the then near-almighty company AKKON. Mike Roose was designed - both in-game and out-of-character - as the quintessential warrior. But for some of us he became also the quintessence of fast-paced-action and defined the genre of cyberpunk per se in our sessions. The following story is an episode in the life of Major Roose written by MaWelt. Major Roose lives for his job, he is the commanding officer in an secret service unit called I.S.A., and is responsible for fullfilment of only the most hazardeous assignments. The story gives a view into a dark but deadly efficient world of Major Roose. 01